CityBeat first wrote about the Springboro Tea Party last month, detailing the agenda for a rally planned Saturday that’s heavy with speakers from the John Birch Society and movies about far-right conspiracy theories.

Now the Tea Party leader organizing the event, Brian “Sonny” Thomas, is under fire for racist and vulgar comments he posted on Twitter, which has prompted several politicians to cancel their appearances at the rally.

Just when you think the tactics of far-right health care reform opponents can’t get any worse, they do.

Today’s issue of The Whistleblower – a gossipy Web-based newsletter – published the home address of U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Price Hill), who voted in favor of the recent health care reform bill. The newsletter suggests opponents stage a protest at his house on Sunday.

Now that the U.S. House of Representatives approved a health care reform bill by a 219-212 vote and the Senate appears likely to follow suit, the political wagons are circling in what’s sure to be some nasty congressional races this fall.

Republicans, however, shouldn’t expect to cruise to victory, and here’s why.

Politically minded people who are turned off by the harsh rhetoric and anti-government stance of the Tea Party movement have a new group where they can express their opinions and try to affect public policy — the Coffee Party.

The fledgling movement will hold a series of get-togethers across the nation Saturday to commemorate “National Coffee Party Day.” Several are scheduled in and around Cincinnati, organizers said.

A notorious ultra-right Sharonville group is urging its followers to write their Congressional representatives and let them know they oppose the repeal of the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

The Republican Party likes to say it embraces the Tea Party movement, except when it’s preparing to possibly have followers arrested.

With Teabaggers angry over state GOP leaders convincing Dave Yost to run for the party’s nomination for Ohio Auditor against the more conservative Seth Morgan, Republicans in Yost’s home county are preparing for trouble when the central committee meets next week.

Although it was overshadowed by the recent national Tea Party convention in Nashville, another conservative group recently held a rally that featured several Greater Cincinnati notables in attendance.

Americans for Prosperity’s Ohio chapter held an “Already Taxed to the Max” rally Jan. 30 at Capitol Square in Columbus. Among those attending the event were former Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich; his wife, Rebecca; former Congressman Rob Portman from Terrace Park, who’s running for the U.S. Senate; and members of the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes.

For the past year, we’ve written occasionally about how many in the Tea Party movement are inspired by racism, fear and hate. When we have, we’ve gotten angry e-mails and blog comments telling us that just isn’t so. Like clockwork, Teabaggers then go and say something to prove our point.

An organizer of Greater Cincinnati's Tea Party movement is telling its members the Ohio Republican Party chairman is trying to manipulate potential candidates in the race for Ohio auditor to pit two Teabggers against each other and split the vote, clearing the path for the chairman's cousin to be the GOP's nominee in the race for another office.